Pripyat, Ukraine: the eerie photos of an abandoned city
Abandoned apartment blocks are crumbling. Picture: IAEA Imagebank
ON APRIL 26, 1986 the worst nuclear power disaster in history occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Station in the Ukraine.
During a test to see how much power was needed to keep the number four reactor operating in the event of a blackout, the station exploded releasing devastatingly dangerous amounts of radioactive chemicals into the air.
Millions of square miles in dozens of surrounding European nations were contaminated as firefighters worked to contain the blaze that burned for 10 days raising concerns about the safety of the Soviet nuclear power industry and nuclear power in general.
Inside the control room of reactor four that caused the world’s largest nuclear accident. Source: Supplied
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that approximately 30 people were killed by the explosion and related radiation exposure, with several thousand more deaths possible due to a higher cancer incidence over the long term.
Pripyat, a city of 50,000 people founded in 1970 to house workers from Chernobyl, was the closest to the number four reactor and the most seriously affected. The entire city was forced to evacuate and nearly 30 years later it sits frozen in time, a haunting reminder of the devastation that occurred.
Crumbling apartment blocks, swimming pools, hospitals, playgrounds and schools sit dilapidated, the victim of looters and graffiti.
The clocks are frozen in time when the power first went out and children’s toys, furniture, books and clothing lay strewn about the site.
ON APRIL 26, 1986 the worst nuclear power disaster in history occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Station in the Ukraine.
During a test to see how much power was needed to keep the number four reactor operating in the event of a blackout, the station exploded releasing devastatingly dangerous amounts of radioactive chemicals into the air.
Millions of square miles in dozens of surrounding European nations were contaminated as firefighters worked to contain the blaze that burned for 10 days raising concerns about the safety of the Soviet nuclear power industry and nuclear power in general.
Inside the control room of reactor four that caused the world’s largest nuclear accident. Source: Supplied
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that approximately 30 people were killed by the explosion and related radiation exposure, with several thousand more deaths possible due to a higher cancer incidence over the long term.
Pripyat, a city of 50,000 people founded in 1970 to house workers from Chernobyl, was the closest to the number four reactor and the most seriously affected. The entire city was forced to evacuate and nearly 30 years later it sits frozen in time, a haunting reminder of the devastation that occurred.
Crumbling apartment blocks, swimming pools, hospitals, playgrounds and schools sit dilapidated, the victim of looters and graffiti.
The clocks are frozen in time when the power first went out and children’s toys, furniture, books and clothing lay strewn about the site.
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